Painting Your Home's Exterior
A fresh coat of paint can update the look of your home and add a large amount of curb appeal if it is done correctly. Poorly-applied exterior paint is hard to miss. However, there are a few things you can do to ensure that your home looks its best after its exterior paint job. Before applying your exterior paint, your home will need to be washed and primed. Cleaning the outside of your home before applying exterior paint will make sure that the paint goes on smoothly and ultimately, adheres well. Cleaning is extremely easy to do and can be done fairly quickly if you use a power washer. If you do not already own a power washer and cannot borrow one from a friend, you can usually rent one from where you purchased your exterior paint as well as your paint and stain supplies.
Once your home is clean, you should apply a primer. This primer will help the exterior paint color you've picked out remain true and extend the life of your exterior paint. There are a variety of exterior paint primers on the market and you should have no trouble finding one that is created with your home's needs in mind. Whether you need to cover up an existing exterior paint cover, are painting over new construction, or need something that can condition old dried wood, there is an exterior paint primer suited for your needs.
Finally, choose the day you apply your exterior paint carefully. Make sure to check the weather report several times. You not only don't want to get caught out in the rain when you are only halfway done, but a rain shower can ruin the work you've already completed if your exterior paint has not had enough time to dry.
Safety and Cleanup Basics for Power Sanders
You can save yourself much time and effort by using a power sander in your painting and staining projects. Where before you might have to spend weeks scraping old paint off of decks and fences by hand, you can now accomplish the same results in a mere few hours with a power sander. Power sanders create smoother cleaner surfaces with much less muscle power and in a fraction of the time you would spend hand sanding the same item.
Power sanders do toss a lot of dust and debris into the air, thus you should definitely watch out for that and protect the area and your clothes. This dust is detrimental to your health, in particular your lungs and your eyes, so make sure you wear appropriate safety gear such as goggles and a face mask when using power sanders. The dust can also cause a considerable amount of mess if you do not plan ahead.
Placing drop cloths under your project or using them to section of a small area just where you will be working makes cleanup a snap and keeps dust from spreading throughout your entire home or workspace. You will probably also want to wear heavy duty suede or leather work gloves with using power sanders as the vibrations from the sander can cause muscle fatigue and you will want your hands protected in case of accidents or slips.
Cleaning Window Blinds and Mini Window Blinds
Love your window blinds, but hate the mess? Most people shy away from even purchasing window blinds because they worry about how they will clean the dust and grime from them. There are a few simple ways to keep your window blinds and mini window blinds sparkling clean and dust-free. Cleaning a little as you go along is far preferable to trying to clean your blinds once a month, season, or year. If you put it off, there will simply be too much dirt to get off easily and stains will have been given time to form. Dusting your window blinds should be a once a week project. Simply turn the window blinds closed and extend them as far down as they will go. You should then be able to suck up any dust with a vacuum cleaner that has a small nozzle or brush attachment on the end. You can also try using a soft cloth kept dry or a specially-designed window blind brush.
Twice a year, you should give your window blinds a more thorough cleaning. You have two choices for cleaning them. You can take the blinds down and let them soak in a large bucket, tub, or bathtub. They should soak overnight in either soapy water or in a cleaning solution made from one part vinegar to two parts water. If you think it is too much of a hassle to take the blinds up and down, you can clean them in place with the same cleaning solution by wearing rubber gloves and going over each slat with a damp sponge.
Step Stool and Step Ladder Storage
Step stools are convenient pieces of equipment to have around the yard and the house. They are perfect for smaller-sized jobs where you do not need to reach high enough to justify a ladder. A step stool is lighter than a full sized ladder making them easier to carry, store and maneuver than big ladders.Even though most modern step stools and step ladders fold relatively flat, they can still be rather bulky. This makes them hard to store. You don't want to put them in a basement or attic where they will have to be carried up and down stairs, but you also do not want to use up precious closet space to store them. If you use your step stool or step ladder outside often, you will want them some place relatively sheltered from rain and winter storms, but still accessible enough for use.
You can add hooks onto the backs of most garages, sheds, barns, or other outside structure that can hold your step stool or step ladder off the ground and where the eaves of the structure and its wall can shield it. This not only makes them easy to get to when you need them, but also extends the life of your step stool.
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